standstill
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of standstill
First recorded in 1695–1705; noun use of verb phrase stand still
Explanation
When anything comes to a standstill, it stops moving, either literally coming to a motionless stop, or ceasing to make any progress. If you and your brother try to agree on what kind of pizza to order, but your negotiations come to a standstill, it means that neither one of you will budge or compromise, and you've reached a dead end. During rush hour on a busy highway, traffic often comes to a standstill — it simply stops. This "cessation of movement" meaning came first.
Vocabulary lists containing standstill
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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"The Experiment" and "The World Is in Their Hands"
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The First State of Being
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The arrival of then world champions Brazil for an exhibition match in conflict-torn Haiti brought the capital Port-au-Prince to a standstill in 2004.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Experts point at three main reasons for the steady prices but caution that a reckoning is not too far as the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
With transport virtually at a standstill, the island is also running short on food and medicine, making it reliant on aid shipments from Mexico and China.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
When we pulled into a Houston-area location, we had to wait for some time to find a parking spot as the lot was at a standstill.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
Travel was almost at a standstill for the first few months after the war.
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
